


Loving Delilah

by MySuperAwesomePenName



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-20
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-08-26 10:16:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16679719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MySuperAwesomePenName/pseuds/MySuperAwesomePenName





	1. Chapter 1

Carlisle Cullen had perfected the look of just getting off a 16 hour shift to an art form. As he clocked out and slipped into his coat, the corners of his mouth subtly crept downward, as if pulled by gravity. His hair, normally smooth and uniform, had been carefully tousled, and his shoulders were ever so slightly slumped. 

 

Carlisle took his disguise seriously, and had become so skilled at emulating human behavior that his less human traits could be explained away without suspicion. Why was he so cold and pale? Why did he and his family all have amber eyes when none of them were related? He had a rare genetic disorder which was mainly identified by amber eyes. This disorder also meant a host of other problems, anemia chief among them. He'd been bullied for his strange appearance growing up and had joined a support group, where he met and later married Esme, who had the same disorder. The couple decided not to have any biological children so as not to pass on the gene. They had, however, come across Edward, an orphan with the same affliction, and had adopted him. From there, it became a sort of habit, taking in children who would otherwise have been picked over for their odd appearance. 

 

That was what he told people, anyway. You might have thought someone would have questioned Carlisle, as the "disorder" they had didn't even exist, but Carlisle found that people were willing to believe anything if he said it with enough conviction. It also helped that Carlisle was naturally likable, and actively cultivated loyalty wherever he went. 

 

"Heading out, Carlisle?" a nurse named Pam asked from the water cooler.

 

Carlisle smiled ruefully and blinked slowly, as if drowsy. "Afraid so. I don't think coffee will be enough to keep me awake another hour." 

 

Pam hummed and nodded. "Well, be careful on your way home - there's supposed to be fog. Oh, and say hello to Esme for me, will you?" 

 

"Will do." Carlisle gave a friendly wave and headed out into the bitter cold, burrowing into his coat for effect. 

 

The drive home was long, but Carlisle didn't mind it. It gave him the chance to process his day without any distractions. It had been a relatively routine day, but he liked to think about what he could do better anyway. Carlisle technically specialized in emergency treatment, but there had only been one emergency that day, and his coworkers were so grateful for assistance in the bout of flu going around that they didn't say anything when he turned up to help. 

 

He was not so deep in thought that he didn't notice the flash in the corner of his eye. He pulled over immediately, prepared to help a stranded traveler. It happened sometimes, as the road was long and seldom traveled. People would overestimate the amount of gas in their car and run out before they could refill. It wasn't unheard of for someone to use a flashlight or reflective surface to flag down passing cars. He slid out of the car and circled around to the other side, his eyes sweeping over the expanse of wilderness, the snow brightening the night. 

 

If he had been human, he would have missed the small bundle nearly thirty yards from the road, and even if he had seen it, he might have assumed it was a discarded blanket or bag. But Carlisle's sensitive ears heard the faint thud of a heartbeat, though the bundle barely moved. 

 

He felt foreboding snake its way down his spine as he quickly made his way over to the little bundle, his thoughts racing. Dread settled into his stomach as he came close enough to realize his worry was justified. He crouched beside the tiny creature and carefully lifted the ratty blanket covering it. Two big eyes found his face, focusing on him with what seemed to be a great amount of difficulty. It was a toddler, no older than three by the looks of it. The child wore only a large, faded t-shirt, which it had stuffed its limbs under in an effort to keep warm. The fact that it was not shivering was what grabbed his attention, though. That indicated that hypothermia had set in pretty badly. 

 

He carefully lifted the child, and debated for less than a second one where to take it. The house was far closer at this point, and thanks to Edward's fascination with medical technology, he had equipment there to treat hypothermia. 

 

He tucked the toddler into the passenger seat where he could keep an eye on it, and sped home as carefully as he could. Esme and Rosalie met him in the driveway.

 

"Alice saw you coming," Esme explained. "She and the rest have taken a trip to the Denali coven, just to be safe."

 

Carlisle nodded, cautiously removing the child from the car. "Rosalie?" 

 

"I'm not leaving." 

 

Carlisle didn't have time to argue. 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Esme went and prepared the equipment they would need while Carlisle carefully removed the child's damp clothes, discovering a tiny little girl with an excessive amount of bruising on her arms and abdomen. He could hear Rosalie growling, and softly hushed her before she could scare the child. The girl in question was too hypothermic to focus with any amount of accuracy, but the fact that she was still awake was promising. 

 

It took a while to get the ECMO prepped for internal rewarming, but it went faster with three vampires working. When the child had been prepped for surgery and he was ready to insert the catheters into the blood vessels in her neck, he found Rosalie's gaze and held it. "If there is any doubt in your mind that you can handle this, I want you to leave now." 

 

Rosalie stood firm, resolve clear on her face. Esme, where she stood smoothing the child's hair, nodded at him. Carlisle inserted the catheters swiftly and accurately, trusting them to control themselves. 

 

By the time he was done, Rosalie's eyes were noticeably darker, and Esme seemed to be gritting her teeth. 

 

"There's not much to do now except let the machine do its work. You two go hunting, I'll monitor her." 

 

Esme took his reassurance at face value and turned to go, but Rosalie hovered by the door, clearly indecisive. In the end, though, her hunger won out and she left with Esme. 

 

When their footsteps had faded, Carlisle settled himself next to the child's bedside and observed the process carefully. Once he was absolutely sure everything was working, he turned his attention to the child herself. She was tiny, clearly malnourished judging by how thin she was. Her light red hair was thin and brittle, and seemed to have been cut jaggedly, and her nails had been left to curl in on themselves. Adding to that the state he had found her in, and the bruises on her limbs and abdomen, he was positive she had been neglected at the very least.


End file.
